Telling what it's like to work on recovering from the effects of alcoholism through Al-Anon

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Content in boredom

We have been enjoying the wildlife camera (Bird Cam Pro) that I gave to my wife for Christmas. I have to say that the wireless connection wasn't easy so I spent about a full day trying to get that set up to no avail. But if we simply download the individual photos by pulling the SD card, it's easy for even the technologically challenged.

We have gotten some good photos of birds at the feeders and the little masked bandits that come up in the wee hours to eat seeds. I'm hoping that we will get to see some other animals like opossum and maybe wild turkeys because there are hundreds of the latter on the property. It has been fun to look at the antics of the squirrels and raccoons. It's the wilds out here on the island so all kinds of critters could wander by. I doubt if we will see the bobcats or coyote unless we put out some kind of meat for them.

It has been rainy and cold for the past few days. Today is the first day without rain, but it's still raw outside. We have been burning logs in the fireplace insert which has helped a lot with keeping the house warm. Other than going out for meetings, neither of us has left the property. We walk down to get the mail and we go out to turn the dogs into their paddocks. All of us seem lazy and lethargic, not wanting to stay outside for long. The cats stay near the hearth and the dogs are enjoying their new dog beds.

We did have some friends over for dinner one night. They are an entertaining couple who work as estate managers in Europe and the Middle East. They live the real Downton Abbey and have stories that are fascinating about the woes of the princes and gentry whose estates they manage. When they are done with a job, they retreat to their home in Greece or come to their home in Cambridge, MA. It was nice to spend time with them, talking about society, mannerisms, lack of manners, and life in a small village in Greece.

I did pick the last of the peppers from the garden so that we could make pepper jelly. The jelly jars are filled now with the green or red savory jelly. The collard greens from the garden were delicious on New Year's Day. I can't complain about the temperature down here. I'm grateful that we don't have snow or below freezing temperatures all day like what the Northeast and Midwest are experiencing.

I am supposed to go on the boat on Wednesday for a couple of days. I don't mind the cold out there because the propane stove keeps the inside of the cabin warm. It's getting to the anchorage that is chilly. And once at the anchorage, I can hibernate as much as I want, except for rowing the dog to shore for her walks and bathroom time.

Nothing dramatic is going on. I have no urgent items that I have to write about. I am utterly content in my rather boring life at the moment.

8 comments:

yum. pepper jelly...sounds like simplicity to me...and i could def get content with that...smiles...pretty cool on the cam...that shot of the coon is awesome, ha. i would not mind a fireplace at all...miss having one actually.

You know what always amazes me....is how our program brings together the unlikeliest of friends. I am thinking of you and me. I think of the big life you live with your international friends and your big job how important you are....and then there is simple me. And I don't say that with any self pity at all...I am really fine being me! And I am fine knowing that you are you too! I have a real life Alanon friend who is an amazing woman who has accomplished all sorts of amazing things in the film industry....and then there is me. But we both adore each other and love to spend time together. I am so grateful for a program that strips away all of those exteriors and lets people just connect on whatever level they find a connection. And I LOVE seeing the pictures of your animal friends and hearing about your life at your beautiful home on your property. And we are having dry weather in the 60's...the dad took little one snowboarding today and there was hardly any snow. They had to walk to certain parts of the trail. We need some of that cold blustery weather down our way!

My dear mother, may she rest in peace, used to say that "Boring is good." As kids, we didn't really understand that. Now as an adult, I think my mom was right on target. Wishing you many boringly peaceful days!

That wildlife camera will bring you so much pleasure! With each passing year I feel closer to the garden and wilderness around me in the mountains and oceans. My life is relatively tranquil right now, a relief out here!